The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

Ming and Xinyi led one of the dug tunnels while other Chiangdas led the other two. Xian Lang, staying on top of the wall, saw a peaceful Platannians'(aka Bernavoles') camp with a few guards making their rounds, carrying lit torches. Then a flare lit the moonless sky. The forest around the camp became bright as streams of fire attacked the prince's shield from all sides. But it seemed it was not enough. The rest of the Chiangdas released huge rocks, whirlwinds, spears made of light, and ice bombarded the shield nonstop with one goal in mind — break that shield at all costs. 

A rock Chiangda formed hills at the shield's edge, thinking his tactic could break it but dismayed to see only half of the hill emerged. His power couldn't penetrate internally. He pulled it back on the ground as not to distract their vision.

Fire Chiangdas gathered together and fused their fires into one, attacking the shield with a dome of fire. The top of the camp's shield was covered with nothing but a horrendous white fire. Yet, it didn't even make a hole or a single crack on the certain shield.

While these happened, most of the rock Chiangdas dug underground fast, as quick as their power could hold. With hands moving as if they were pushing and pulling, the tunnel became longer and wider, until they were almost there. Then suddenly a loud banging sound reverberated in the tunnel while rippling lights hit the diggers and the following people. They instantly collapsed on the ground when the light passed through them. Unexpectedly, the prince's shield had an offensive power protecting underground. Only those with Xinyi were not affected because of her defensive shield working.

Before anyone could move, Xinyi saw a huge hand made of light was about to grab the rock Chiangdas ahead of them. She quickly sent a plant to grab those men, and she took the person's place. As it happened, the grabbing hand stopped, and she heard the prince's voice saying, "Stay away. This isn't your fight."

"Who said this isn't my fight. As the Chief Guardian of this world, I have all the rights to be here. Leave, Uncle. You won't win on your own."

"Who said I'm alone?" Prince Zelmer said indifferently.

"What do you mean? More men are coming from Platanna?" She probed. But the prince was smarter.

"You'll get nothing from me. You'll be sorry for choosing to go against me, my dear niece. You'll see how powerful I am because it's you who will lose." He said nothing more, and they heard rumblings from the ground. 

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They looked at each other and shouted, "Earthquake! Everyone out!" They were running in a rampage, but Xinyi and some rock Chiangdas didn't panic and opened an enormous hole above them. They went out as fast as they could, afraid of being buried underneath. But before they could move, their people, one by one, disappeared from their very eyes. The prince was kidnapping the Chiangdas in her watch.

"No," Xinyi swiftly put a gigantic dome to cover every person around. Guang also moved and protected the other Chiangdas, but they were too late. The prince had taken approximately a hundred of their men. "Do you all think I am naïve?" The Prince shouted, standing in the middle of the camp. All of his men were actually awake, and they were ready to fight. Weapons of different forms were in their hands.

"Run, all of you. Go back inside the city gate where he couldn't snatch you," shouted Xinyi, but the spirit guardians remained with her, believing they couldn't be taken away for they were part of Xinyi. If they were snatched, they could retreat to their respective items in her body and it wouldn't be a problem at all. 

Ming and Shijian also stayed with her. Xian Lang saw it and shot a flare, and the dwindling attacks from the forest because of the earthquake totally stopped. Then those around the shield dome scurried either to the forest or to the gate, as far as they could get away from their so-called prince's limit of reach, of which Xinyi couldn't say if it existed. The result today would prove otherwise.

It became about between Xinyi and the prince afterward. He tried to capture more Chiangdas, but Xinyi's team was protecting them. Shenglui, Guang, and Shenkai, Ah Lam, Meirga, and Nianshi had excellent teamwork with her. The dragons, the spider, and the water formed Shenglui, grabbed the men, placed them inside Shenkai's vine cage which had Guang's shield, and the vines of Xinyi and Shenkai would send these people to the gate, to be under the city's defensive power. They moved with preciseness, cutting Prince Zelmer's kidnappings until there were the only people left near the dome shield. They heaved a breath deep after winning the grabbing contest. 

There was also another reason they won. When the disappearance began earlier, Ming used his power to control the Platannas, aside from the prince. Not just rending these people immobile, he tried to make them attack the prince. And his heart bounced with joy when he succeeded after his first try.

As the prince focused on his snatching contest against Xinyi's team, he didn't notice his men jumped upon him, pinning him on the ground. Two men nabbed his hands and tied them on his back. Three men held his legs and tied them with ropes. They completely overwhelmed him.

Everything happened in mere seconds, that even Xiang Lang accompanied now by Tyriece and Lofey, Lifen, and Zang Wei, who was observing above the walls, couldn't track down every movement. But they didn't miss the pinning down of the prince. Xinyi saw it too and looked at her helpless Uncle and pitied him. But they had to do it for their loved ones and their world.

As they thought they had won, the prince vanished. For sure, Xinyi could pinpoint that he retreated in his domain. 

But that wasn't all that took them by surprise. The Platanna people began to move uneasily and pounced at their companions. And Ming screamed. Xinyi turned to him and saw his eyes went blurry and suddenly went completely black. Dark purplish veins formed and ran down from his head down to his feet. 

Suddenly he yanked his head at Xinyi and the team of spirit guardians. "Kneel. Bow to your ruler," Ming said with an unconstrained and booming voice. The spirit guardians became powerless and knelt. From here, Xinyi realized this was what the dragon king and his Uncle said, the result of him using this unharnessed dominant power.

Xinyi hurriedly sent her spirit guardians back to their artifacts while covering Ah Lam, Nianshi, and Meirga with her shield. The three could move again after. They stood at Xinyi's back while watching with horror at Ming, who was enjoying his newfound power.

"My lady, send your light to his head and control that power," Nianshi said. "Your light has the strength to control any form of evil."

"What? I can control it?" Xinyi never thought she could because this was the first time she encountered such a problem. But she would do it for Ming's sake.

"Yes, you can control it. Do it now, Xinyi." Shijian said, curling and wincing on the ground beside Ming. "Hurry! His power is getting out of hand. It is fast crawling in my mind too." Shijian's body jerked many times as she fought against his control. She even tried to disconnect with Ming's mind, but it was a desperate case. Her eyes slowly went black too, but she wouldn't allow it. Fortunately, she was stronger than the said evil but she had to stay focused or fail. Sweat drenched her body and dirt stuck on her clothes as she rolled on the dusty and dry land, struggling against the blackness which tried to capture her.

Seeing Shijian's difficulties and the wounded and bloodied Platanna people inside the shield, Xinyi didn't hesitate more and sent her light essence at Ming's head but, shamefully, it wasn't working at all. Rather, Ming lifted his hands high as he laughed out loud like a madman as he sent the Platanna men raised their spears and other weapons and killed their comrades without restraint or care. Chaos ruled inside the camp again and got out of hand. 

Ming was definitely winning against Xinyi's light. Her eyes thinned, beads of sweat rolled on her face as she unleashed her strongest light engulfing his head. Unfortunately, the immense 'Ruler's Influence' hated to lose and controlled Ming's hand to draw out his sword, aiming at her head. All the onlookers, including Xinyi, stood in fear as the blade was about to reach her face.

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